Broncs blank Indians HA improves record to 7-1

BREWER – Coming off a 7-6 win last week over Winslow, the first in the Hampden Academy hockey team’s nine-year history, the Broncos had some trouble getting their mind into their game with Old Town Wednesday night.

But once the Broncos realized they were in a game, they stepped things up a bit and came away with a 4-0 win at T.J. Ryan Center.

The Broncos improved to 7-1. It is the team’s best start since beginning the 1994 season 8-0. Old Town fell to 1-7.

“Our team has a reputation for playing to the level of our opponents,” Greg Taylor, one of the four Hampden goal scorers, said. “We’re coming off the high of beating Winslow for the first time ever. So, we looked at this game a little differently.”

The Broncos’ best play came on the occasion when the Indians ventured into the Broncos’ defensive zone.

The Hampden defense played a solid game, limiting Old Town to just 16 shots, including only two during a 3:40 5-on-3 power play that was followed by two additional minutes of being a man down.

And when the Indians’ shots got through the defense, goalie Garrett Macgowan was like a stone wall in goal.

“We work hard in practice on that,” Macgowan said. “The guys really played well in front of me.”

Offensively, the Broncos created a number of excellent scoring chances in the first period but didn’t look sharp in their attempts to finish.

They finally broke out of the malady 1:13 into the second period when Chris Bearor took the puck from behind the Old Town goal, spun around to the front and jammed it inside the right post.

Taylor made it 2-0 a little more than two minutes later after he redirected Lance Ingerson’s shot from the post past Old Town goalie P.J. Stowe. It was Taylor’s 12th goal of the year.

The Broncos’ third goal of the second period came on a similar play to Bearor’s. This time it was sophomore winger Jason Huntley who provided the wrap-around.

Adam Standley closed out the scoring with 3:29 remaining in the game with a beautiful shift around a defender and some nifty stickhandling in front of Stowe.

Despite doing enough to win, Taylor believes his team needs to enter games better prepared.

“We can’t afford to come out like that. It could cost us,” Taylor said. “It all starts in practice. The practice before the game we gotta really pick it up and not wait until we come to the game.”

The score actually would have been worse were it not for the play of Stowe. The Old Town goalie made 31 saves on 35 shots, some spectacular.

“I though that was one of our best games,” Old Town coach Lance Cote. “We have a top-level goaltender… He’s played big for us every game.”

BRONCOS 4, INDIANS 0

Old Town (1-7) 0 0 0 ? 0

Hampden Academy (7-1) 0 3 1 ? 4

First period ? No scoring. Penalties: OT, Pease, roughing, 10:47.

Second period ? 1. HA, Bearor (unassisted) 1:13; 2. HA, Taylor (Ingerson), 3:39; 3. Huntley (Brooks), 8:20. Penalties: OT, Leclair, interference, 8:20; OT, Stetson, unsportsmanlike conduct, 14:02; HA, Brown, unsportsmanlike conduct, 14:02.

Third period ? 4. HA, Standley (unassisted), 11:33. Penalties: HA, Taylor, roughing, :39; HA, Bearor, hooking, :59; HA, Ingerson, roughing, 1:55; OT, Fournier, roughing, 1:55; HA, Pease, hitting after the whistle, 1:55; OT, Millett, roughing, 6:24; HA, Taylor, tripping, 14:17; OT, Stetson, tripping, 14:17; OT, Millett, roughing, 14:26.

Shots on goal: Old Town 4-4-8?16; Hampden 16-11-8?35

Goaltenders: Old Town, Stowe (35 shots-31 saves); Hampden, Macgowan (16-16)

Power-play Opportunities: Old Town 0 of 3; Hampden 0 of 5

Attendance: 100 (est.)